Receiving apparatus



Nov. 19, 1935. A. B. CORNELIUSy Er AL 2,021,644

RECEIVING APPARMUS Filed April 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a @ecn INVENT R5: "33 Arf/wr 5. Carne fus George VY. Vm/

ATTORNEY NOV- 19, 1935. A. B. CORNELIUS ET AL 2,021,644

RECEIVING APPARATUS Filed April 4, 1.932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gore VY. YOU

ORNEY Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES RECEIVING APPARATUS Arthur B. Cornelius and George W. Young, Seattle, Wash.

Application April 4, 1932, Serial No. 602,970

15 Claims.

This invention relates to parcel receiving mechanism of that character particularly adapted for use in homes to allow of the safe delivery by tradespeople of substantially any character of goods without danger of the same being surreptitiously stolen.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is the provision of relatively simplified and inexpensive structure most advantageous in its accommodation to the needs of a housekeeper, that is to say, the provision of mechanism positively preventing not only the possibility of any party obtaining access to the home by reason of the delivery, but also eliminating any possibility of the delivered goods being lost through theft subsequent to the delivery.

Further and more particular objects and advantages, together with the foregoing, should be apparent in the course of the following detailed description and claims, the invention consisting in the novel construction, adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view representing the invention in the form now preferred by us.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof on an enlarged scale, indicating by full and broken lines the relative positions of the respective parts during a. delivery operation.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the vline 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan with parts broken away and shown in horizontal section, the inspection plate for the door control being removed.

Figures 5 and 6 are side elevations taken from opposite sides of the cabinet, dotted lines in respective instances indicating the dust covers for the door-control operating rods.

Figure 7 is a detail longitudinal vertical section taken on an enlarged scale through 1--1 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a detail transverse section taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figures 9 and 10 are detail horizontal and vertical transverse sections indicating, in respective instances, an underside plan and a front elevation of the door-lock mechanism, the latter view taken on the line I0--I0 of Figure 4; and

Figure 11 is a detail longitudinal vertical section showing a modified floor arrangement for the cabinet, of significance only where the cabinet is of such size as to admit of the reception of a person.

Reference being had to such drawing, the cabinet proper is represented by the numeral I5, being formed to provide a oor I6, side walls I1, a ceiling I8, and suitable re-inforcement such as the.c1e'at elements 20, said cabinet as represented in Figure 1 being introduced within a passage 5 provided therefor to communicate at inner and outer ends with the interior of the home and a corridor or the like, respectively. In aording a closure for the outer end of the cabinet, a hinged door 2| is provided, said door having a suitable 1o operating handle 22 and serving to control a horizontally movable slide block 23, the interconnection therebetween comprising links 24 engaging bars 25, said bars being pivoted at 26 and having a telesepoic connection with block-operating 15 rods 21. 28 represents casters for the block, preferably of the ball character.

As is believed obvious, a package introduced to the cabinet forwardly of the slide block is forced through the cabinet responsive to a closing of the 20 door. It is in the prevention of a subsequent retraction of the package that we provide, adjacent the inner end of the cabinet, a pair of gates 30 Supported for swinging movement about vertical shafts 35. These gates are controlled, 25 as will be hereinafter described, by the manual operation of a shield door 3I located at the outer end of the cabinet and supported for swinging movement about a transversely extending shaft 32. Said shaft 32 protrudes exteriorly of the 30 cabinet side walls and mounted on the ends of the same are crank-arms 33, 34 which operate respective arms 36, 31 arranged for reciprocatory movement longitudinally of the cabinet. An eye 38 formed in one leg of a bell-crank 39 fulcrumed 35 for movement about a vertical axis slidably receives the free end of the arm 36 while the other arm 31 is slidably supported through a keeper 40.

Said arm 36 serves to control the opening of the swing gates which normally are locked in their 4.0 closed positions between an abutment 5I and a latch 52. On the extreme end of the arm a collar or the like 4I is supported, this collar being located such that the same contacts the eye of the bell-crank 39 through a relatively small portion 45 only of its travel, the bell-crank in turn operating a drag link 42 which connects with a medially located horizontally movable cam 43 fulcrumed at 44 to a supporting plate 45.

As designed, said cam provides two oppositely 50 projecting quadrants 46 and 41 which are each concentrically slotted as at 48. The quadrant 41 provides a diagonal lead 49 to an underneath cam face 5l! adapted for riding engagement relative to one lever arm 53 of a. lpawl 54, the other arm of 55 the pawl engaging the gate latch 52 to retract the same. Seating their inner ends in respective of said slots 48 in a manner aifording a lag of the same to the latch retraction are drag links 55, their outer ends serving to engage crank extensions 56, 5T of the gate shafts 35. Springs 65 serve to close the gates in advance of the latch drop with a spring 66 returning the cam quadrants to their inoperative positions.

The foregoing mechanism serves to effect an opening of the gates only When the shield door is located in its fully closed position as indicated by B of Figure 2, an opening of the same beyond the position represented by C effecting a latching of the same.

It is, however, in preventing the possibility of a package being advanced through the cabinet sufficient to retain the gates in open position by an engagement with the package that we provide locking mechanism which is effective to prevent a subsequent opening of the shield door, said mechanism comprising the formation of the crank extension 5'. as a sector to extend over the arm '51, the edge of said sector providing a downturned flange 5S projecting about a major portion of its periphery for co-operative activity with an annular bead 59 rigid with the arm. As the gates open, said flange, normally located out of the line oi travel of the bead, is actuated to intercept the same with a consequent retention of the shield door in its closed position.

Referring to Figure 11, the modiiication shown may consist in a pivotal suspension of the outer end of the cabinet iloor, the inner end I6 being yieldably supported over a compression spring GL', said inner end engaging one arm of a lever 6l pivotally supported in a bearing 62, the other arm of said lever operating a supplementary gate latch 63. The arrangement serves to lock the gates responsive to the introduction of an excessive Weight to the receiving floor of the cabinet.

In the operation of the receiver, the link 24 retracts the block to its outermost disposition as the door 2| is opened. Subsequent movement of the shield door 3! in its initial opening activity, through assertion of the springs 65 and spring 66, eiects a latching of the gates as the same are closed. The package is introduced forwardly oi the block, the shield door closed with a resultant opening of the gates, and the door 2l closed, the latter movement operating the slide block to deposit the package within the interior of the home at the inner end of the cabinet.

What we claim is:

l. In a receiver for parcels, a cabinet, a receiving chamber therein, an outer door and a shield door spaced, one from the other, and located at one end of said chamber to provide access to the same, a pair of collectively movable swing gates at the other end of said chamber, a block supported for slide activity through said gates to and from said chamber, means connecting said block with the outer door for operating said block from its forward to its rearmost position responsive to a closing of the door, means connecting said shield door with the swing gates for opening and closing the same, respectively. responsive to iinal closing and initial opening movements only of the shield door, said last named means being inoperative through the major portion of the shield door movement, and means for locking said swing gates in their closed positions.

2. In mechanism for receiving parcels, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber therein, a shield door supported at one end of said chamber to provide access to the same, a pair of springclosing swing gates collectively movable and supported at the other end of the chamber, a block supported for slide activity through said gates to and from said chamber, means for actuating said block, means connecting said shield door with the swing gates for opening the same responsive to a closing of the door, and means responsive to an opening of said door for locking said gates in their closed positions.

3. The structure as deiined in claim 2, including means rendered operative responsive to an opening of the swing gates for preventing an opening of the shield door.

4. In mechanism for receiving parcels, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, an outer door and a shield door supported in spaced apart dispositions at one end of the chamber for permiting access to the chamber, a pair of springclosing swing gates supported at the other end of the chamber, a block supported for slide activity through said gates to and from the chamber, means rendered operative responsive to the closing and opening of the outer door for advancing said block from the chamber through the gates, and retracting said block to the chamber, respectively, and means responsive to an opening of the shield door for locking said gates in their closed position.

5. In parcel receiving mechanism, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, a door supported at one end of said chamber to provide access to the same, a spring-closing normally open door for the other end of the chamber, a block supported for slide activity through said last named door to and from the chamber, means for operating said block, and means responsive to the opening of said iirst-named door rendering said springs operative to close the other of said doors.

6. In parcel-receiving mechanism, a. cabinet providing a receiving chamber, a door supported at one end of the same to provide access to the chamber, a door for the other end of the chamber, a lock therefor, a block supported for 1ongitudinal movement through said last named door to and from the chamber, means for operating said block, means responsive to an opening of said firstnamed dooi` for effecting a locking of the other door in its closed position, and means responsive to a closing of said first named door for opening the other of said doors.

7. In parcel-receiving mechanism, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, an outer door and a shield door supported in spacedapart dispositions at one end of the chamber and affording access thereto, a gate supported at the other end of said chamber, means connecting said shield door with the gate for opening and closing the latter responsive to a closing and opening of the shield door, respectively, and means acting responsive to a closing of said outer door for advancing a parcel introduced to said chamber through said gate.

8. In parcel-receiving mechanism, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, an outer door and a shield door supported in spaced-apart dispositions at one end of the chamber to afford access thereto, a spring-closing gate supported at the other end of the chamber, a lock for said gate, means rendered operative responsive to a closing of said shield door for unlocking said gate, and means acting responsive to a closing 76 of said outer door for advancing a parcel introduced to said chamber through said gate.

9. In parcel-receiving mechanism, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, an outer door and a shield door supported in spaced-apart dispositions at one end of the chamber to afford access thereto, a gate supported at the other end of the chamber, means effecting a closing of said gate responsive to an opening of the shield door, a lock for said gate, means rendered operative responsive to a closing of said shield door for unlocking said gate, and means acting responsive to a closing of said outer door for advancing a parcel introduced to said chamber through said gate.

10. In parcel-receiving mechanism, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, a shield door at one end of the chamber affording access thereto, a gate at the other end of the chamber, a lock for said gate, means effecting a closing of said gate responsive to an opening of the shield door, means rendered operative responsive to a closing of said shield door for unlatching the gate, and means for advancing a parcel introduced to said chamber through said gate.

11. In a parcel receiver, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, a door at one end of said chamber providing access thereto, a pair of gates at the other end of said chamber allowing removal of parcels introduced to the same, means affording an opening of said gates co-incident with the closing of said door, and means rendered operative responsive to an opening of said gates for restricting the extent of opening of said door.

12. In a parcel receiver, a cabinet, openings in the outer and inner ends of the cabinet for introducing parcels to and removing the same from the cabinet, doors for said openings, and mechanism manually controlled from the exterior of the cabinet at the outer end of the same for advancing parcels introducedto the cabinet in a rectilineal line longitudinally of the cabinet through the door at the inner end of the cabinet.

13. In the structure as defined in claim 12, means for automatically locking the door at the inner end of the cabinet While the door at the outer end of the cabinet is open.

14. In a parcel receiver, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, a door at one end of the chamber alfording introduction of parcels to the chamber, a door at the other end of the chamber for removing the parcels from said chamber, and means actuated by the closing of the first-named door for opening the other door, said means operating such that the first-named door in its initial closing movement is inoperative to impart opening movement to the other door.

15. In a parcel receiver, a cabinet providing a receiving chamber, an opening in the outer end thereof for introducing parcels to the chamber, a door for said opening hingedly supported for swing activity about a stationary axis, and parce1-engaging mechanism movable longitudinally of the receiving chamber and actuated by the closing of the door for advancing the parcels through and discharging the same from the inner end of the receiving chamber.

ARTHUR B. CORNELIUS. GEORGE W. YOUNG. 

